Ida B. Wells-Barnett dedicated her life to social justice and equality. He devoted his enormous energies to building the foundation of African American progress in business, politics and law. Wells-Barnett was a key participant in the formation of the National Association of Colored Women and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He spoke eloquently in support of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The legacy of these organizations has been extraordinary, and his contributions to each have been timely and indispensable. But no cause tested Ida B. Wells-Barnett's courage and integrity as much as her battle against mob violence and the terror of lynching in the late 19th century. After the Civil War, blacks were granted rights they had probably never dreamed of. to have during slavery. They were made citizens of the United States and given equal protection under the laws. If you were male and of a certain age you were also given a ballot paper. Each of these represented both a great victory for the liberated people and the promise of a bright future. We know, however, that during the 1870s and 1880s these rights were slowly and systematically taken away from blacks through the use of Jim Crow Laws. Black people saw their rights begin to be stripped away through legal, illegal, and often violent means. The vast majority of blacks were losing ground and being forced back into conditions little better than slavery. Black people were repressed by various methods – economic, social and political – but most typically through violence. By the end of the 19th century, lynching was clearly the most well-known and feared means of disenfranchising blacks. of paper... these women were left behind as survivors. They lost fathers, brothers and sons. They had a tremendous duty to keep their family and the black community alive in the aftermath of this brutal crime. Wells was clearly a champion for their courage. Ida B. Wells continued the fight against mob violence and lynching until the end of her life. He showed us the way to achieve true social justice by helping to found the NAACP – the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – in 1909. This alliance of blacks and whites represented a new stage in the crusade to stop racism. violence and inequality. The great legal, moral, and political victories achieved by the NAACP and the civil rights movement are evidence of one of Ida Wells' deepest beliefs. Wells understood that justice could not be fully achieved without interracial cooperation.